


WIP: Tiger, Wolf, Puma

by laurel_wesley (Wes)



Category: Samurai 7
Genre: Completely one-sided, Episode rewrite (sort of...), FUCK HIS NAME HAS ANOTHER U IN IT, Incomplete, Kyuuzo stream of conscious, Other, WIP, one-sided, very very incomplete
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2014-12-13
Packaged: 2018-03-01 07:54:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2765507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wes/pseuds/laurel_wesley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A WIP I wrote about the first fight between Kanbei and Kyuuzo, leaning a little bit more towards Kyuuzo's perspective.</p>
            </blockquote>





	WIP: Tiger, Wolf, Puma

**Author's Note:**

> Omg I love Samurai 7 this is like my forth or fifth time watching it and it never gets ollllld <33333 I can't believe it was made it 2004, BUT OH MY GOD <333333333333 
> 
> So yeah I'm kind of a rabid fan of this series. I have my gripes with it (such as some of the ways Kirara is portrayed) but I love this series to pieces, and if you haven't watched it PLEASE DO. 
> 
> Anyway, enough of that. This is a WIP (work in progress) for a totally one-sided Kyuuzo/Kanbei fic, that I may or may not ever finish haha I tried to focus on Kyuuzo's perspective a little more, since I've fallen in love with how he becomes so expressive when he fights... Watching the faces he makes gives me joy~ But I like to think that he really just loses his cool around Kanbei and no one else, and that strikes in him an intriguing feeling, or even a want for someone who can do that to him. He's not in love with Kanbei, per say, but would enjoy watching Kanbei fall apart because of him haha Idk my logic is strange *covers face* 
> 
> A-anyway have a fic. Half a fic. *leaves*

Yes, of course they were followed.

Yes, of course he found them.

And yes, of course it was Shimada Kanbei who noticed.

Kyuuzo watched the old man intently as they circled, red eyes trained on him- his body may have looked old, and his steps may have been saturated with arthritis and joint pain, but there was a certain graceful quality his movements possessed. He moved fluidly, light and soundless- made Kyuuzo sound like an elephant in comparison. That fluidity was only accomplished by someone of youth, or a trained dancer, of which Shimada Kanbei was neither.

He took time to notice other things, too. The large piercings, dangling from his ears. Dark brown orbs sizing him up as well. Greying hair, splayed about his shoulders and tumbling down his back. Strong jaw and tight lips, pressed together in a light frown. Shimada Kanbei was like a walking Adonis, trapped in the body of someone far too old for this.

They circled, and a brief introduction was exchanged. Of course Kyuuzo already knew him. Who didn't? But it was marvelous to hear that name tumble out of his own lips instead.

_"I am Shimada Kanbei."_

Oh yeah man, yeah you are. And now it's my time to kill you, or at least get a personal introduction for my neck to your sword if I mess up. Yeah.

Kyuuzo drew his eyes away from Kanbei's lips to meet his brown orbs instead. Said irises had barely moved, watching his face instead of his body. Chances as they were, Kanbei had probably read into all his moves before he'd even performed them. Why waste time analyzing anyway?

There was a fraction of a second where all Kyuuzo could hear was his heart beat. He came to a stop, drawing his blades- _Two swords? What an honor_ \- and shifting his weight slightly. Kanbei had a single sword strapped to his waist, but Kyuuzo had the slightest idea that that wasn't the only thing he'd be using in the fight. Better to find out sooner that later. The assassin charged.

They met in battle, Shimada Kanbei expertly blocking Kyuuzo's second strike with the sheathe of his blade. It surprised him, ripping the breath from his lungs. Kyuuzo broke out in a nervous sweat, desperately intrigued, but also...

Terrified?

Kyuuzo was no street samurai, but he was far from the best. Early on, Kanbei's movements had been jerky with the hint of old bones, but suddenly he was fluid, a cat, quicksilver, the wind. He was strong and precise, wasted no energy, making it obvious that yes, Kyuuzo was good, but he and Kanbei were still leagues apart.

They danced, swords twirling, legs almost touching, Kyuuzo pressing Shimada Kanbei. Something stirred within him, something primal, adrenaline? He grinned outwardly, a toothy look meant for the world to see.

He pressed harder, pushing back on the old man until they were neck to neck- literally. Kyuuzo wasn't truly expecting it, to be locked up after such a simple exchange. But he could feel the blade at his throat and the blood running into his jacket- He would have gulped too, at the shallow cut high on Kanbei's jugular. And he would have gulped, not because of the exposed flesh there (that was a realization for later), but because _holy hell Kyuuzo actually landed a hit on the great Shimada Kanbei._

Kyuuzo could feel the cold metal of Shimada Kanbei's sheath against his neck and thumb, and the heavy pressure that the great samurai was exerting on him. Red cloth slid away from Kyuuzo's thin, toned thigh, and he'd be a little surprised to admit he did that on purpose. He wanted to see Kanbei worked up, losing his cool over his leg and arms and body. It was selfish but Kyuuzo wanted that oh so badly.

Kanbei pressed forward again, the blade pulling away from his flesh. His collar snapped back into place, more blood bubbling to the surface, but he still leaned in and whispered, "I am in love."

And there it was, the feeling from earlier. Kyuuzo was by no means young, in his early thirties, but holy _shit_  if those four words didn't get him riled up, send him back to his teenage years. He was suddenly hyperaware of everything about Kanbei, from the thin beads of sweat down to the grey in the roots of his hair, the small ring of yet more grey in his eyes, even his _smell_. Kyuuzo found himself thinking these things, and flinched, hopping away from Kanbei a bit too violently.

They tumbled apart, and the great samurai finished his sentence (if it even was that in the first place), "With your skills, that is." Kyuuzo felt his stomach do a flip. The fear was gone now, replaced by annoyance and intrigue, but mostly annoyance. And a little lust, for this man maybe able to best him. He knew Kanbei didn't feel the same, and he also knew that this was an obsession, but he couldn't help but revel in the warmth blooming in the pit of his stomach. 

* * *

Their spar came to a screeching halt. Kyuuzo felt like a mess of emotions, caught between incredible dislike for Shimada Kanbei, and wanting to press his body up against his. He acknowledged the warmth of Kanbei's hand on his wrist, but was too distracted by the warmth and weight next to him, as well as the breathing in his ear. He knew Kanbei wasn't doing it on purpose.

Kyuuzo was the only one with these feelings. The exhilaration. Adrenaline. Lust.

Lust for a man-- a _person_ able to match him.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Eeeeeee I hope you can even enjoy that a little bit... I may or may not finish it and the title is subject to change. Definitely. If I do finish though, expect the word "lithe" and more cat comparisons in there lol


End file.
